In this interview, you’ll hear from Alec Wirstrom, a Peace Corps (CED) Community Economic Development volunteer in Costa Rica. Alec shares what daily life looks like, the work being done, and how service has shaped their personal and professional growth. You’ll learn about housing, cultural differences, project work, language learning, and what it’s like to live and work in a new country. This interview offers a real look into Peace Corps service and what future volunteers can expect.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Social Identity
- Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. What do you do as a Peace Corps Development volunteer in Costa Rica?
One of the fun things about CED is that there really is no such thing as a typical day compared to other sectors. Each day is different, and we are largely responsible for setting our own schedules.
- My counterpart in Mollejones is in a rural community-based tourism association, so when groups are in town, I often accompany them to make sure things are going well, listen to any feedback there may be, and help with the setup and clean-up when they are coming and going.
- I also go to meetings with the Association of Integral Development (ADI in Spanish), which functions as the local government, every two weeks.
- I also help at the school twice a week, teaching some basic English and PE classes.
- I’ve also hosted workshops for different entrepreneurial groups, applied for Costa Rica’s Ecologic Blue Flag program, I am currently working on a project of putting the tourism project’s experiences on Google Maps and TripAdvisor, and I’ve worked on a lot of applications for grants from various sources alongside my counterparts.
- Mollejones is also a partner with Southwest Airlines’ Repurpose with Purpose Program, so once a week, there is work for local families to recycle airline seats that go on to be turned into crafts.
- My main projects have been coordinating funding and projects from 4 different funding sources: one funded the Feria de la Guayaba 2024, another funded repairs to the community space, and another funded the purchase and renovation of the building used for the leather project.
On the personal/fun side of things, my site recently got an outdoor gym donated by the municipality in February 2026, so I try to go each afternoon when it is not raining, and usually the local kids play soccer once they finish school at 3 pm.
2. Why did you decide to join the Peace Corps and serve in Costa Rica?
When I was in my senior year of college in 2021, I heard about the Peace Corps, and it sounded like an amazing opportunity to go abroad, apply skills that I had learned, and do work that would make a true difference. I applied and was accepted to go to Paraguay, but since this was when the Peace Corps was still reopening, I decided to pursue a master’s instead. But once that finished, I knew I was still interested in the Peace Corps, so I looked at the job descriptions, saw it was exactly the skills I was looking to use, and applied to Costa Rica.
The defining reason I chose Costa Rica over other countries was that the work would be done in Spanish. One of my principal goals for Peace Corps service was mastering the Spanish language, as it was my minor in college, and I had always been very interested in Latin America and its culture.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. What is your housing like in Costa Rica?
I lived with a host family for the first year of my service before moving out on my own for the rest of my service. My site, Mollejones, is a small, rural village of about 200 people in the mountains of Turrialba on the eastern side of Costa Rica. There isn’t a grocery store, just a small pulperia, the Costa Rican word for convenience store, out of someone’s house that has the essentials. The main big grocery stores are in Turrialba, which also has a great farmer’s market on Fridays and Saturdays that was featured on National Geographic! There is also the Cancha Multiusos, which is the community gathering spot, a soccer field, the school, and two churches, one Catholic and one evangelical. I had internet, potable water, a TV, and a shower heater at both my host family’s house and my own place.
Host family schedule
With my host family, I lived with a family of 4, my host parents and 2 host brothers. Since we live in a rural area and my host dad works in agriculture, his day would start at 4 am. I would usually get up around 6 or 7, have breakfast, which was either bread (which was featured on national TV, see picture below) or gallo pinto, which is one of the national dishes of Costa Rica, and then go about my day. Lunch where I live is typically served at 10-10:30 am due to the early beginning of the day. Then there is afternoon coffee between 2-3 pm, where you have coffee and more bread as an afternoon snack. Dinner would be served between 5 and 6.
Typical foods
One thing about Costa Rican food is that you can count on eating rice and beans for lunch and dinner; they are pretty much staples. With a gallo pinto in the morning, you might have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Some other foods you might have are olla de carne, which is like a beef stew or soup, picadillo, which is a chopped mix of various ingredients, arroz con pollo, rice with chicken, or a Casado, which is rice, beans, some protein, a salad, and maybe plantains. Qué rico!
My Americanized diet
On my own, I shifted to more of an Americanized diet but still incorporated some Costa Rican elements. Sometimes, I bring bagels and cereal back from the capital with me for breakfast. I also built out a solid spice cabinet, which allowed me to make most of the dishes I made back in the US and teach myself new recipes. For lunch and dinner, I always serve myself a protein, a carb, and a vegetable source. I do very much enjoy cooking for myself, but sometimes it can be a pain after coming back from an unexpectedly long day and having nothing prepared! But Costa Ricans are generous, and my counterpart will usually invite me to dinner at his house when that happens.
4. What moments or interactions stand out during your service?
It truly is crazy how quickly the two years fly by while in service. The moments that jump out to me are my introduction to site where I had to help prepare a multi-day Feria de la Guayaba. Many PCVs report difficulty trying to establish relationships in the beginning, but I was lucky enough to be able to get to know my community members by working alongside them in my first month of service.
I’ll never forget not having a pair of rubber boots for the rainy season and almost falling down the mountain! I definitely recommend those if you go to a country with a rainy season and lots of mud.
I also loved all the soccer games that I got to play in, whether they were community events or mejengas (informal matches) of the local kids against the visiting tourists. I’ve played soccer my entire life, and playing on our pitch with such a beautiful view never gets old.
I also enjoyed Doña Luisa sending me on my way from her home with a couple of eggs to make for breakfast the next morning, the countless numbers of unexpected coffees that I got to drink with different community members, and the conversations we had, and being able to facilitate some of the unique experiences and interchanges between the tourists and the families in my community.
The Rio Pacuare is also stunning; it looks like something out of a movie.
Professionally, I’m most proud of the fair that I helped organize in my second year of service with no grant money and making a profit for the community. I am also proud of the impact that I had on the kids and helping open their horizons by teaching English and PE, and having them start giving me things in the second year of teaching them. I’m also proud of how much the community has changed in my short time here and how, in 2025, there were 30 total tourist groups, and through July 2026, there are already 40 reservations!
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about living or working in Costa Rica?
I was pretty surprised by the food initially. Before I came to Costa Rica, I always imagined myself with a mango tree and lots of great tropical fruits and vegetables. Mostly because of a lack of availability, I didn’t have a lot of fruits and vegetables initially, nor did I eat what we would consider a well-balanced diet in the States. But, through negotiating with my host family, I was able to plant lettuce, and I would take fruits and other grocery items back home when I went into town.
On the positive side, I knew that Costa Ricans were known for their hospitality, but the people at my site take Pura Vida to another level. People here are extremely generous and always willing to help you no matter what problem you have.
6. What challenges have you faced in your Development work, and how did you respond?
In my personal case, I’ve faced challenges because my site has an established project that has been going on for over 15 years now. This is a blessing and something the community is very fortunate to have, but it’s also difficult at times to introduce new ideas. I found that being patient and waiting for the right moment is the most effective way to bring about change.
Also, trying to coordinate people’s schedules is difficult. While my community has a small population, it is geographically large. I tried to create a social media group for the project’s socials, but I always had cancellations for meetings. So what I did was I went to each of the three people’s houses and did 1 on 1 trainings instead.
7. What secondary projects have you worked on during your service?
While I was officially a CED volunteer, I also chipped in with weekly English and PE classes. I like to humbly brag a little bit to say that I helped with all 3 sectors in Costa Rica, the other two being Youth in Development and English Education. My friend Brendan, a YD volunteer, and I coordinated a youth camp during the “summer” break in February before the kids went back to school, and together, we put together a 4-day site where Brendan stayed at my site and we created a manual for cross-sector collaborations.
For English, I helped the school during its Spelling Bee competition each July. The first year we did a marine life theme, and this year we will be doing different occupations. I also taught English related to tourism so that they could try to communicate with the tourists who stayed with them as part of the homestay program, as well as the culture of the countries where most of the visitors come from.
I was nervous about working on these projects with the school when I arrived at the site because it was something that I didn’t receive training on during PST. But thanks to the support that my counterpart, Minor, and the school director, Gabriela, gave me, I was able to learn how to effectively teach and make a positive impact in the school.
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to future Development volunteers in Costa Rica?
My advice to future Costa Rica CED volunteers is to come in with no expectations. Costa Rica obviously has a reputation as an internationally renowned tourism destination. Most people think of Jacó and Tamarindo. Odds are, your site won’t be there! But that doesn’t mean that your site won’t be beautiful. Be sure to prioritize relationships with your community members. The best way to accomplish that is to put yourself out there and be visible. Go to the soccer field, the church services, and show up to everything that you are invited to, especially in your first few months.
Once you do that, the projects will come, and you will be able to achieve the goals that you and your community decide.
9. How did Peace Corps training prepare you for service?
Pre-Service Training (PST) was a really important time because those 12 weeks I spent learning the blueprint for what we would do for the Community and Sector Assessment (CASA) and the first 3 months of service. I also learned more tools that we would use throughout my service. It set a foundation that allowed me to achieve success during my service.
Additionally, I was able to build relationships with my fellow PCVs that allowed for several collaboration projects that appeared throughout Costa Rica, like the one that Brendan and I worked on. Not to mention, being able to better get to know the Program Team and the entire Peace Corps Costa Rica staff, who are truly excellent!
In-Service Training (IST) Conference and the Project Design Management training provided important tools for both the design and management aspects of projects, as well as the monitoring, recording, and evaluation of them to define success.
Mid-Service Training (MST) Conference was also another chance to share successes and failures with colleagues through the first year of service and effective strategies to use in the second year. It also helped to shift the thinking of how to make the work we did sustainable so that it will last long after your time as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. What would you tell future volunteers to pack—or leave behind?
I definitely recommend the rubber boots I mentioned earlier. If you have large feet, say a size 13, you will also have a difficult time finding shoes in your size. So be sure to bring plenty that will last you as long as you need. I’d bring a lot of breathable clothes, as it is very humid. Bring a little gift for both your host family for PST and your host family at site!
Don’t bring a lot of light-colored clothing; everything here gets dirty quickly. Also, don’t bring any medical supplies like ibuprofen, etc because the Peace Corps medical team has you covered.
11. How has language learning been for you in Costa Rica?
I came in at Advanced Low, and I’m hoping to leave Costa Rica with Advanced High Spanish. In PST, the classes that we had were most focused on learning phrases, expressions, and Costa Rica vocabulary that we would encounter at our sites.
I like to listen to a lot of Spanish-language music, and I’d recommend watching series or movies in Spanish with Spanish subtitles as well if you are more advanced, or English subtitles if you’re just getting started.
Peace Corps also has a really great grammar book it’ll give you for self-study as well. Your host family will likely be your best resource once you arrive!
Social Identity
12. How has your personal identity shaped your service experience?
I was raised Catholic, so understanding the religion helped me understand that aspect of life in Costa Rica.
13. Did your identity lead to specific challenges or situations?
Being in a site that was offering tourism, they were very accustomed to having foreigners, but people will initially assume that you don’t speak Spanish, which can be annoying at first.
14. What advice do you have for volunteers who share your identity?
There are some people who feel like they have to hide parts of their personality or identity while they are serving. For me, I tried to be myself as naturally as I could, and I was accepted! However, I would recommend just feeling it out as you become more familiar with your site and community members and whatever makes you most comfortable!
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
15. If you share content online, how has that shaped your service?
I wrote some very inconsistent blog posts and made some very inconsistent posts @alecincostarica on Instagram. It was difficult for me to get into a schedule with social media while at site! But hopefully I’ll post some good stuff before I close my service.
16. What final advice would you share with future volunteers?
Enjoy the ride! Being a Peace Corps Volunteer is a roller coaster with lots of highs and lots of lows. Lean on your support networks when you need to, and always keep your eyes on the prize! Best of luck, and know that your service is going to make a huge impact and make a difference in people’s lives just by you showing up each day.
Are you thinking about joining the Peace Corps? If you’re curious about service and ready for something new, apply today. Like Alec, you can live abroad, work with communities, and grow in ways you didn’t expect. Apply to the Peace Corps and take the next step.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Costa Rica Government
